Fourteen civilians died and at least 15 were wounded after assailants attacked a Kabul maternity hospital Tuesday, setting off a battle as Afghan police rescued dozens of mothers and newborns while under fire.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Fourteen civilians died and at least 15 were wounded after assailants attacked a Kabul hospital Tuesday, setting off a battle as Afghan police rescued dozens of mothers and newborns while under fire.
By early afternoon, special operations police had killed all three assailants and rescued more than 100 people, said Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Aryan, who called the attack “a crime against humanity” in a statement.
Two newborns were among the dead, officials said.
Photos released by the Interior Ministry showed police carrying infants wrapped in towels and blankets, followed by their mothers as they fled the hospital, where international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders runs a clinic.
Coalition soldiers supported Afghan forces by providing security during the operation, a statement from NATO Resolute Support said Tuesday.
The attackers killed a security guard around 10 a.
